PC questions composition of Bilkis Bano convicts remission panel

CHENNAI: Former union home minister P Chidambaram questioned the composition of the review panel that granted remission to the 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano gang rape case.

Chidambaram on Thursday said that the review panel that recommended remission to the 11 convicts comprised BJP MLAs and a prosecution witness in the Godhra Train burning case.

Taking to Twitter to criticise the composition of the panel, the senior Congress leader Tweeted early Thursday afternoon that there was an interesting side story to the grant of remission to 11 persons convicted for gang rape in Gujarat.

“Among the Review Panel were two BJP MLAs Shri CK Raolji and Shri Suman Chauhan!

"Another member was Shri Murli Mulchandani who was a key witness for the prosecution in the Godhra Train burning case!” tweeted Chidambaram, who has been criticising the release of the rape cum murder case convicts since their release on Independence Day by the BJP-led Gujarat government.

“Was this a neutral, non-partisan panel of experts in criminology and penology? The District Collector was the Chairperson,” remarked the former union home minister, a day after wondering if Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of the grant of remission to the convicts.

The senior Congress leader who also sought to know if the Gujarat government consulted the Centre, also tweeted that the Nari Shakti is defeated by Vinash Shakti under the Gujarat model.